Dear Evan Hanson Broadway Across Canada To Aug. 14, National Arts Centre Reviewed Tuesday The social pressure of high school is a challenge for an awkward…
To make matters worse as he faces his senior year, young Evan broke his arm over the summer and has to start the school year in a cast, an unwanted attention-getter that makes him even more awkward and socially anxious.
This is the plot setup that unfolds in the opening scenes of Dear Evan Hansen, an award-winning contemporary musical presented in Ottawa by Broadway Across Canada. The touring production opened at the National Arts Centre Tuesday, and runs until Aug. 14. That’s part of what makes it such an effective tale. The tricky part is that it also deals with suicide and its impact on friends, family and community in an upfront way that we’re not used to seeing in popular culture. Shortly after signing Evan’s cast, Connor takes his own life, and is found with a letter that begins, “Dear Evan Hansen.” Everyone assumes it’s his goodbye note.
From there, the lie gets bigger and more convoluted as Evan spends a growing amount of time with Connor’s family, including his crush, Connor’s sister, Zoe, feeding them details about his “friendship” with Connor. Other students jump on the bandwagon, including some who want to capitalize on the death by selling pins and T-shirts, while Evan makes an impassioned speech at a school assembly that goes viral.